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A Southwest Florida man is behind bars after police say he tried to rape a woman after she called cops about the reptile.

(Published Wednesday, March 15, 2017)

Florida deputies say the victim of an attempted rape was saved by a snake she found inside her bathroom moments before the attack.

According to NBC affiliate WBBH-TV, the Lehigh Acres woman called the Lee County's Sheriff's Office after finding the reptile in her home. While she waited for officers to arrive, 28-year-old Malcolm Porter came up behind the victim, grabbing her by the neck and choking her while demanding she have sex with him.

Porter removed the victim's underwear and allegedly threatened to kill her, according to a police report, WBBH reported. The woman asked Porter to get condoms from another room, and when he stepped away from her, she ran outside to find deputies responding to the snake call.

Porter was arrested and charged with battery by strangulation. He was ordered held without bond.